Ben Foster has pulled no punches towards Jadon Sancho after the Manchester United player’s message to Marcus Rashford on social media sparked backlash.
Manchester United loanee Marcus Rashford made his debut for Aston Villa on Sunday during the 2-1 FA Cup win at Villa Park over Tottenham.
The 27-year-old United player climbed off the bench in the second half and had a solid cameo appearance for Aston Villa in the fourth-round FA Cup tie.
Rashford left Old Trafford earlier this month and completed a loan move to Villa Park after he fell out of favour under United manager Ruben Amorim.
Villa agreed to cover the United star’s wages during his spell and the Premier League club did not have to pay a loan fee for the transfer.
United also included a £40m buy option for Rashford, who will now see out the remainder of the 2024-25 Premier League season with Villa.
Foster reacts to Sancho and Rashford
Jadon Sancho, who is on loan at Chelsea, was heavily criticised after Manchester United fans spotted his message on Marcus Rashford’s Instagram post.
The 24-year-old former Borussia Dortmund ace left the comment “freedom” in response to Rashford marking his debut with Aston Villa on the weekend.
Sancho fell out with former United manager Erik ten Hag, who was sacked last October, and was axed from the Red Devils first team under the Dutchman.
The United player spent the second half of last season out on loan at former club Borussia Dortmund before he returned to Old Trafford last summer.
Sancho was offloaded by United to Chelsea in the 2024 summer window, with the Blues agreeing to buy him this coming summer for a fee between £20m to £25m.
Speaking on The Cycling GK, Ben Foster suggested that Sancho’s behaviour showed that the Red Devils “reeks of toxicity” and is an “unhappy place to be” as a player.
“What is he [Sancho] doing? That’s ridiculous because he is still actually employed by Manchester United, so is Marcus Rashford,” he said.
“It just reeks of toxicity at United. It reeks of an unhappy place to be, that everybody’s buzzing for someone to get out [of the club].”
Unai Emery on Rashford at Villa
Speaking after Sunday’s 2-1 win, Villa manager Unai Emery has tipped Rashford to be among the players to “help” his side in the coming months.
“Andres Garcia and Malen both played in the idea we had,” he said.
“They were consistent and focused. As well, Marcus Rashford and Asensio, we watched their skill and how they helped us and will help us again in the next months in the different competitions we will face.
“We are in a new way after the changes we did. We are demanding because we still need to improve due to some tactical issues and how we want to compete in the Premier League.”
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